Ms. Roybal-Allard
(for herself, Mr. Wolf, and
Ms. DeLauro) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To provide for programs and activities with respect to
the prevention of underage drinking.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage
Drinking Reauthorization Act or the STOP Act.

2.

Amendment to the
Public Health Service Act

Section 519B of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–25b) is amended by striking subsections (a) through (f)
and inserting the following:

(a)

Definitions

For
purposes of this section:

(1)

The term
alcohol beverage industry means the brewers, vintners, distillers,
importers, distributors, and retail or online outlets that sell or serve beer,
wine, and distilled spirits.

(2)

The term
school-based prevention means programs, which are
institutionalized, and run by staff members or school-designated persons or
organizations in any grade of school, kindergarten through 12th grade.

(3)

The term
youth means persons under the age of 21.

(b)

Sense of
congress

It is the sense of the Congress that:

(1)

A multi-faceted
effort is needed to more successfully address the problem of underage drinking
in the United States. A coordinated approach to prevention, intervention,
treatment, enforcement, and research is key to making progress. This section
recognizes the need for a focused national effort, and addresses particulars of
the Federal portion of that effort, as well as Federal support for State
activities.

(2)

The Secretary
shall continue to conduct research and collect data on the short- and
long-range impact of alcohol use and abuse upon adolescent brain development
and other organ systems.

(3)

States and
communities, including colleges and universities, are encouraged to adopt
comprehensive prevention approaches, including—

(A)

evidence-based
screening, programs, and curricula;

(B)

brief intervention
strategies;

(C)

consistent policy
enforcement; and

(D)

science-based
strategies to reduce underage drinking.

(4)

Public health
groups, consumer groups, and the alcohol beverage industry should continue and
expand evidence-based efforts to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

(5)

The entertainment
industries have a powerful impact on youth, and they should use rating systems
and marketing codes to reduce the likelihood that underage audiences will be
exposed to movies, recordings, television programs, or other digital media with
unsuitable alcohol content.

(6)

The National
Collegiate Athletic Association, its member colleges and universities, and
athletic conferences should affirm a commitment to a policy of discouraging
alcohol use among underage students and other young fans.

(7)

Alcohol is a
unique product and should be regulated differently than other products by the
States and Federal Government. States have primary authority to regulate
alcohol distribution and sale, and the Federal Government should support and
supplement these State efforts. States also have a responsibility to fight
youth access to alcohol and reduce underage drinking. Continued State
regulation and licensing of the manufacture, importation, sale, distribution,
transportation and storage of alcoholic beverages are clearly in the public
interest and are critical to promoting responsible consumption, preventing
illegal access to alcohol by persons under 21 years of age from commercial and
non-commercial sources, maintaining industry integrity and an orderly
marketplace, and furthering effective State tax collection.

(8)

The age-21 minimum
drinking law, enacted in 1984, has been a remarkably effective public health
and safety policy, as evidenced by the fact that the percentage of 12th graders
who have drunk alcohol in the past month has fallen by one-third since the
enactment of such law.

(9)

The age-21 minimum
drinking law has also has been significantly effective in reducing drinking and
driving traffic fatalities, as the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the law has saved over 28,000 lives since
1975.

(10)

Community
awareness, support, and mobilization provide an important context for the
effective enforcement of the age-21 minimum drinking law.

Interagency
coordinating committee on the prevention of underage drinking

(A)

In
general

The Secretary, in collaboration with the Federal
officials specified in subparagraph (B), shall continue to support and enhance
the efforts of the interagency coordinating committee, that began operating in
2004, focusing on underage drinking (referred to in this subsection as the
Committee).

(B)

Other
agencies

The officials referred to in subparagraph (A) are the
Secretary of Education, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Transportation,
the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Surgeon General,
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of
the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Administrator of
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Director of
the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Assistant Secretary for Children and
Families, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the
Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the
Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the
Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and such other Federal officials as
the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to be appropriate.

(C)

Chair

The
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall serve as the chair of the
Committee.

(D)

Duties

The
Committee shall guide policy and program development across the Federal
Government with respect to underage drinking, provided, however, that nothing
in this section shall be construed as transferring regulatory or program
authority from an Agency to the Coordinating Committee.

(E)

Consultations

The
Committee shall actively seek the input of and shall consult with all
appropriate and interested parties, including States, public health research
and interest groups, foundations, and alcohol beverage industry trade
associations and companies.

(F)

Annual
report

(i)

In
general

The Secretary, on behalf of the Committee, shall annually
submit to the Congress a report that summarizes—

(I)

all programs and
policies of Federal agencies designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking,
focusing particularly on programs and policies that support the adoption and
enforcement of State policies designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking
as specified in paragraph (2);

(II)

the extent of
progress in preventing and reducing underage drinking at State and national
levels;

(III)

data that the
Secretary shall collect with respect to the information specified in clause
(ii); and

(IV)

such other
information regarding underage drinking as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.

(ii)

Certain
information

The report under clause (i) shall include information
on the following:

(I)

Patterns and
consequences of underage drinking as reported in research and surveys such as,
but not limited to, Monitoring the Future, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
System, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System.

(II)

Measures of the
availability of alcohol from commercial and non-commercial sources to underage
populations.

(III)

Measures of the
exposure of underage populations to messages regarding alcohol in advertising
and the entertainment media.

(IV)

Surveillance
data, including information on the onset and prevalence of underage drinking,
consumption patterns, beverage preferences, prevalence of drinking among
students at institutions of higher education, correlations between adult and
youth drinking, and the means of underage access, including trends over time
for these surveillance data. The Secretary shall develop a plan to improve the
collection, measurement, and consistency of reporting Federal underage alcohol
data.

(V)

Any additional
findings resulting from research conducted or supported under subsection
(f).

(VI)

Evidence-based
best practices to prevent and reduce underage drinking including a review of
the research literature related to State laws, regulations, and policies
designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking, as described in paragraph
(2)(B)(i).

(2)

Annual report on
State underage drinking prevention and enforcement activities

(A)

In
general

The Secretary shall, with input and collaboration from
other appropriate Federal agencies, States, Indian tribes, territories, and
public health, consumer, and alcohol beverage industry groups, annually issue a
report on each State’s performance in enacting, enforcing, and creating laws,
regulations, and policies to prevent or reduce underage drinking based on an
assessment of best practices developed pursuant to paragraph (1)(F)(ii)(VI) and
subparagraph (B)(i). For purposes of this paragraph, each such report, with
respect to a year, shall be referred to as the State Report.
Each State Report shall be designed as a resource tool for Federal agencies
assisting States in the States’ underage drinking prevention efforts, State
public health and law enforcement agencies, State and local policy makers, and
underage drinking prevention coalitions including those receiving grants
pursuant to subsection (e)(1).

(B)

State Report
performance measures and content

(i)

In
general

The Secretary shall develop, in consultation with the
Committee, a set of measures to be used in preparing the report on best
practices as they relate to State laws, regulations, policies, and enforcement
practices.

(ii)

State report
content

Each State Report shall include updates on State laws,
regulations, and policies, including, but not limited to the following:

(I)

Whether or not the
State has comprehensive anti-underage drinking laws such as for the illegal
sale, purchase, attempt to purchase, consumption, or possession of alcohol;
illegal use of fraudulent ID; illegal furnishing or obtaining of alcohol for an
individual under 21 years; the degree of strictness of the penalties for such
offenses; and the prevalence of the enforcement of each of these
infractions.

(II)

Whether or not
the State has comprehensive liability statutes pertaining to underage access to
alcohol such as dram shop, social host, and house party laws, and the
prevalence of enforcement of each of these laws.

(III)

Whether or not
the State encourages and conducts comprehensive enforcement efforts to prevent
underage access to alcohol at retail outlets, such as random compliance checks
and shoulder tap programs, and the number of compliance checks within alcohol
retail outlets measured against the number of total alcohol retail outlets in
each State, and the result of such checks.

(IV)

Whether or not
the State encourages training on the proper selling and serving of alcohol for
all sellers and servers of alcohol as a condition of employment.

(V)

Whether or not the
State has policies and regulations with regard to direct sales to consumers and
home delivery of alcoholic beverages.

(VI)

Whether or not
the State has programs or laws to deter adults from purchasing alcohol for
minors; and the number of adults targeted by these programs.

(VII)

Whether or not
the State has enacted graduated drivers licenses and the extent of those
provisions.

(iii)

Additional
categories

In addition to the updates of State laws, regulations,
and policies listed in clause (ii), the Secretary shall consider the following
categories, including but not limited to—

(I)

whether or not
States have adopted laws, regulations, and policies that deter underage alcohol
use, as described in the Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action to Prevent and
Reduce Underage Drinking, including restrictions on low-price, high-volume
drink specials, and wholesaler pricing provisions;

(II)

whether or not
States have adopted laws, regulations and policies designed to reduce alcohol
advertising messages attractive to youth and youth exposure to alcohol
advertising and marketing in measured and unmeasured media;

(III)

whether or not
States have laws and policies that promote underage drinking prevention policy
development by local jurisdictions;

(IV)

whether or not
States have adopted laws, regulations, and policies to restrict youth access to
alcoholic beverages that may pose special risks to youth, including but not
limited to alcoholic mists, gelatins, freezer pops, pre-mixed caffeinated
alcoholic beverages, and flavored malt beverages;

(V)

whether or not
States have adopted uniform best practices protocols for conducting compliance
checks and shoulder tap programs; and

(VI)

whether or not
States have adopted uniform best practices penalty protocols for violations of
laws prohibiting retail licensees from selling or furnishing of alcohol to
minors.

(iv)

Uniform data
system

For performance measures related to enforcement of
underage drinking laws as specified in clause (ii) and (iii), the Secretary
shall develop and test a uniform data system for reporting State enforcement
data, including the development of a pilot program for this purpose. The pilot
program shall include procedures for collecting enforcement data from both
State and local law enforcement jurisdictions.

(3)

Authorization of
appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this subsection$1,000,000 for fiscal year 2014, and $1,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2015 through 2018.

(d)

National media
campaign To prevent underage drinking

(1)

In
general

The Secretary, in consultation with the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, shall develop an intensive, multifaceted,
adult-oriented national media campaign to reduce underage drinking by
influencing attitudes regarding underage drinking, increasing the willingness
of adults to take actions to reduce underage drinking, and encouraging public
policy changes known to decrease underage drinking rates.

(2)

Purpose

The
purpose of the national media campaign described in this section shall be to
achieve the following objectives:

(A)

Instill a broad
societal commitment to reduce underage drinking.

(B)

Increase specific
actions by adults that are meant to discourage or inhibit underage
drinking.

In preparation for the national media campaign described in
this section, the Secretary shall conduct, in consultation with appropriate
Federal agencies and outside experts, including in marketing, public relations,
mass media campaigns, parenting, and alcohol use and abuse, a developmental
phase to test specific campaign features prior to beginning an intensive
national strategy. This phase shall include research and testing, limited to a
period not to exceed 24 months, to determine the following:

(A)

Promising messages
to promote public opinion change.

(B)

Appropriate
channels for reaching target audiences.

(C)

Appropriate timing
and weight for utilizing such promising messages and media channels.

(D)

Methods for
linking the campaign to local, State, and national policy changes affecting
underage drinking, if adopted.

(E)

Productive
collaborative partnerships with national and local organizations.

(4)

Components

When
implementing the national media campaign described in this section, the
Secretary shall—

(A)

educate the public
about the public health and safety benefits of evidence-based policies to
reduce underage drinking, including minimum legal drinking age laws, and build
public and parental support for and cooperation with enforcement of such
policies;

(B)

educate the public
about the negative consequences of underage drinking;

(C)

promote specific
actions by adults that are meant to discourage or inhibit underage drinking,
including positive behavior modeling, general parental monitoring, and
consistent and appropriate discipline;

(D)

discourage adult
conduct that tends to facilitate underage drinking, including the hosting of
underage parties with alcohol and the purchasing of alcoholic beverages on
behalf of underage youth;

(E)

establish
collaborative relationships with local and national organizations and
institutions to further the goals of the campaign and assure that the messages
of the campaign are disseminated from a variety of sources;

(F)

conduct the
campaign through multi-media sources; and

(G)

conduct the
campaign with regard to changing demographics and cultural and linguistic
factors.

(5)

Consultation
requirement

In developing and implementing the national media
campaign described in this section, the Secretary shall consult recommendations
for reducing underage drinking published by the National Academy of Sciences.
The Secretary shall also consult with interested parties including medical,
public health, and consumer and parent groups, law enforcement, institutions of
higher education, community organizations and coalitions, and other
stakeholders supportive of the goals of the campaign.

(6)

Annual
report

Beginning 12 months after the date of the enactment of the
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Reauthorization Act, the Secretary
shall produce an annual report on the progress of the development or
implementation of the media campaign described in this section, including
expenses and projected costs, and, as such information is available, report on
the effectiveness of such campaign in affecting adult attitudes toward underage
drinking and adult willingness to take actions to decrease underage
drinking.

(7)

Research on
youth-oriented campaign

The Secretary may, based on the
availability of funds, conduct research on the potential success of a
youth-oriented national media campaign to reduce underage drinking. The
Secretary shall report any such results to Congress with policy recommendations
on establishing such a campaign.

(8)

Administration

The
Secretary may enter into a subcontract with another Federal Agency to delegate
the authority for execution and administration of the adult oriented national
media campaign.

(9)

Authorization of
appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this section$1,000,000 for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 and such sums as
necessary for each of the fiscal years 2016 through 2018.

The Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, in consultation with the Director of the Office
of National Drug Control Policy, shall award, if the Administrator determines
that the Department of Health and Human Services is not currently conducting
activities that duplicate activities of the type described in this subsection,
enhancement grants to eligible entities to design, implement,
evaluate, and disseminate comprehensive strategies to maximize the
effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and reducing underage
drinking. This subsection is subject to the availability of
appropriations.

(B)

Purposes

The
purposes of this paragraph are to—

(i)

prevent and reduce
alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States;

(ii)

serve as a
catalyst for increased citizen participation and greater collaboration among
all sectors and organizations of a community that first demonstrates a
long-term commitment to reducing alcohol use among youth;

(iii)

implement
state-of-the-art science-based strategies to prevent and reduce underage
drinking by changing local conditions in communities; and

(iv)

enhance, not
supplant, effective local community initiatives for preventing and reducing
alcohol use among youth.

(C)

Application

An
eligible entity desiring an enhancement grant under this paragraph shall submit
an application to the Administrator at such time, and in such manner, and
accompanied by such information as the Administrator may require in accordance
with the purposes described in subparagraph (B). Each application shall
include—

(i)

a
complete description of the entity’s current underage alcohol use prevention
initiatives and how the grant will appropriately enhance the focus on underage
drinking issues; or

(ii)

a
complete description of the entity’s current initiatives, and how it will use
this grant to enhance those initiatives by adding a focus on underage drinking
prevention.

(D)

Uses of
funds

Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this
paragraph shall use the grant funds to carry out the activities described in
such entity’s application submitted pursuant to subparagraph (C) and obtain
specialized training and technical assistance by the entity awarded a grant
under section 4 of Public Law 107–82, as amended (21 U.S.C. 1521 note),
reauthorizing the Drug-Free Communities Support Program. Grants under this
paragraph shall not exceed $50,000 per year and may not exceed four
years.

(E)

Supplement not
supplant

Grant funds provided under this paragraph shall be used
to supplement, not supplant, Federal and non-Federal funds available for
carrying out the activities described in this paragraph.

(F)

Evaluation

Grants
under this paragraph shall be subject to the same evaluation requirements and
procedures as the evaluation requirements and procedures imposed on recipients
of drug free community grants.

(G)

Definitions

For
purposes of this paragraph, the term eligible entity means an
organization that is currently receiving or has received grant funds under the
Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 (21 U.S.C. 1521 et seq.).

(H)

Administrative
expenses

Not more than 6 percent of a grant under this paragraph
may be expended for administrative expenses.

(I)

Authorization of
appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this paragraph$6,000,000 for fiscal year 2014, and $6,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2015 through 2018.

(2)

Grants for
partnerships between community coalitions and institutions of higher
education

(A)

Authorization of
program

The Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, in coordination with the Director of the Office
of National Drug Control Policy, may make grants to eligible entities to enable
the entities to prevent, and reduce the rate of, underage alcohol consumption,
including binge drinking among students at institutions of higher
education.

(B)

Purposes

The
purposes of this paragraph are to—

(i)

prevent and reduce
alcohol use among underage students at institutions of higher education and the
surrounding community;

(ii)

strengthen
collaboration among communities and institutions of higher education;
and

(iii)

disseminate to
institutions of higher education timely information regarding state-of-the-art
science-based strategies to prevent and reduce underage drinking by changing
local conditions at institutions of higher education and in the surrounding
community.

(C)

Applications

An
eligible entity (as defined in subparagraph (H)) that desires to receive a
grant under this paragraph shall submit an application to the Administrator at
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Administrator may require.

(D)

Criteria

As
part of an application for a grant under this paragraph, the Administrator
shall require an eligible entity to demonstrate—

(i)

the active
participation of one or more institutions of higher education in the relevant
eligible entity coalition;

(ii)

a
description of how the eligible entity will work with one or more institutions
of higher education to target underage students;

(iii)

a description of how the eligible entity
intends to ensure that it has a partnership with one or more institutions of
higher education and how it intends to implement the purpose of this section
and move toward indicators described in subparagraph (F);

(iv)

a
list of the members of each local coalition and institution of higher education
that will be involved in the work of the eligible entity;

(v)

the implementation
of state-of-the-art science-based strategies to prevent and reduce underage
drinking by changing local conditions at institutions of higher education and
in the surrounding community;

(vi)

the anticipated
impact of funds provided under this paragraph in preventing and reducing the
rates of underage alcohol use;

(vii)

outreach
strategies, including ways in which the eligible entity proposes to—

(I)

reach out to
students and community stakeholders;

(II)

promote the
purpose of this paragraph;

(III)

address the
range of needs of underage students and the surrounding communities;

(IV)

address community
policies affecting underage students regarding alcohol use; and

(V)

implement other
science-based strategies to reduce underage drinking; and

(viii)

such additional
information as required by the Administrator.

(E)

Uses of
funds

Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this
paragraph shall use the grant funds to carry out the activities described in
such entity’s application pursuant to subparagraph (D). Grants under this
paragraph shall not exceed $100,000 per year and may not exceed four
years.

(F)

Accountability

On
the date on which the Administrator first publishes a notice in the Federal
Register soliciting applications for grants under this paragraph, the
Administrator shall include in the notice achievement indicators for the
program authorized under this paragraph. The achievement indicators shall be
designed to—

(i)

measure the impact
that the coalition assisted under this paragraph is having on the institution
of higher education and the surrounding communities, including changes in the
number of incidents of any kind in which students have abused alcohol or
consumed alcohol while under the age of 21 (including violations, physical
assaults, sexual assaults, reports of intimidation, disruptions of school
functions, disruptions of student studies, mental health referrals, illnesses,
alcohol-related transports to emergency departments, or deaths); and

(ii)

provide such
other measures of program impact as the Administrator determines
appropriate.

(G)

Supplement not
supplant

Grant funds provided under this paragraph shall be used
to supplement, and not supplant, Federal and non-Federal funds available for
carrying out the activities described in this paragraph.

(H)

Definitions

For
purposes of this paragraph:

(i)

Eligible
entity

The term eligible entity means an
organization that—

(I)

on or before the
date of submitting an application for a grant under this subsection is
currently receiving or has received grant funds under the Drug-Free Communities
Act of 1997 (21 U.S.C. 1521 et seq.);

(II)

can provide
evidence of preexisting involvement of one or more institutions of higher
education; and

(III)

has a documented
strategy to prevent and reduce underage drinking by students at institutions of
higher education as part of its multi-sector, community-based strategy.

(ii)

Institution of
higher education

The term institution of higher
education has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).

(iii)

Surrounding
community

The term surrounding community means the
community—

(I)

that surrounds an
institution of higher education;

(II)

where the
students from the institution of higher education take part in the community;
and

(III)

where students
from the institution of higher education live in off-campus housing.

(I)

Administrative
expenses

Not more than 6 percent of a grant under this paragraph
may be expended for administrative expenses.

(J)

Authorization of
appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this paragraph$2,500,000 for fiscal year 2014, and $2,500,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2015 through 2018.

(f)

Reducing
underage drinking through screening and brief intervention

(1)

Grants to
pediatric health care providers to reduce underage drinking

The
Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, shall make one or more grants to professional
pediatric provider organizations to increase among the members of such
organizations effective practices to reduce the prevalence of alcohol use among
individuals under the age of 21, including college students.

(2)

Purposes

Grants
under this subsection shall be made to promote the practices of—

(A)

screening children
and adolescents for alcohol use;

(B)

offering brief
interventions to children and adolescents to discourage such use;

(C)

educating parents
about the dangers of and methods of discouraging such use;

(D)

diagnosing and
treating alcohol abuse disorders; and

(E)

referring
patients, when necessary, to other appropriate care.

(3)

Use of
funds

An organization receiving a grant under this subsection may
use such funding to promote the practices specified in paragraph (B) among its
members by—

(A)

providing training
to health care providers;

(B)

disseminating best
practices, including culturally and linguistically appropriate best practices,
and developing, printing, and distributing materials; and

(C)

offering other
activities approved by the Secretary.

(4)

Application

An
organization desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, and in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Secretary may require. Each application shall
include—

(A)

a description of
the organization and how its members are qualified to provide the services
specified in paragraph (2);

(B)

a description of
activities to be completed; and

(C)

a timeline for the
completion of such activities.

(5)

Definitions

For
the purpose of this subsection:

(A)

The term
pediatric health care provider means a provider of primary health
care to individuals under the age of 21.

(B)

The term
professional pediatric provider organization means a national
organization whose members consist primarily of pediatric health care
providers.

(C)

The term
children and adolescents means any person under 21 years of
age.

(D)

The term alcohol education
means evidence-based education about the effects of alcohol use and abuse on
children, adolescents, and adults.

(E)

The term
screening and brief intervention means using validated patient
interview techniques to identify and assess the existence and extent of alcohol
use, then providing brief advice and other brief motivational enhancement
techniques designed to increase patient insight regarding their own alcohol use
and any realized or potential consequences of this behavior, as well as to
effect the desired related behavioral change.

(F)

The term
caregivers means, with respect to a child or adolescent, the
parents, family members, or legal guardians of the child or adolescent.

(6)

Authorization of
appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this subsection$3,000,000 for fiscal year 2014, and $3,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2015 through 2018.

(g)

Data collection
and research

(1)

Additional
research on underage drinking

The Secretary shall, subject to the
availability of appropriations, collect data, and conduct or support research
that is not duplicative of research currently being conducted or supported by
the Department of Health and Human Services, on underage drinking, with respect
to the following:

(A)

Improve data
collection in support of evaluation of the effectiveness of comprehensive
community-based programs or strategies and statewide systems to prevent and
reduce underage drinking, across the underage years from early childhood to age
21, such as programs funded and implemented by government entities, public
health interest groups and foundations, and alcohol beverage companies and
trade associations, through the development of models of State-level
epidemiological surveillance of underage drinking by funding in States or large
metropolitan areas new epidemiologists focused on excessive drinking including
underage alcohol use.

(B)

Obtain and report
more precise information than is currently collected on the scope of the
underage drinking problem and patterns of underage alcohol consumption,
including improved knowledge about the problem and progress in preventing,
reducing, and treating underage drinking; as well as information on the rate of
exposure of youth to advertising and other media messages encouraging and
discouraging alcohol consumption.

(C)

Synthesize, expand
on, and widely disseminate existing research on effective strategies for
reducing underage drinking, including translational research, and make this
research easily accessible to the general public.

(D)

Improve and
conduct public health surveillance on alcohol use and alcohol-related
conditions in States by increasing the use of surveys, such as the Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveillance System, to monitor binge and excessive drinking and
related harms among individuals who are at least 18 years of age, but not more
than 20 years of age, including harm caused to self or others as a result of
alcohol use that is not duplicative of research currently being conducted or
supported by the Department of Health and Human Services.

(2)

Authorization of
appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this subsection$4,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2014 through
2018.